Grab Bag Movie Reviews- Drama, Action, Comedy

"Hold on, kid- weren't you in The Village?"

Due to the real world, I haven’t been able to write full blown reviews for movies I’ve seen with my wife. So here are quick one paragraph movie reviews for Kung Fu Panda (2008), What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Sling Blade (1996), Ninja Assassin (2009), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Fight Club (1999), Blow (2001), The Gods Must Be Crazy (1984), Hotel Rwanda (2004), The Wizard of Oz (1939), Dead Poet’s Society (1989), and Zombieland (2009).

Kung Fu Panda review: Started off a bit silly and full of commercialism, but got steam and went off the charts. Although the premise is simply a parody or satire of old Kung Fu movies, the message is strong and good for kids. The old tortoise had some very deep and true Buddhist advise. Funny cartoon, with good animation, and I recommend Kung Fu Panda with two thumbs up; it’s just not that original, and at times seems like a pastiche of Star Wars.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape review: My wife and I were totally blown away by this movie, which focuses on a dysfunctional family in a small boring town. Leonardo DiCaprio is totally convincing as a retarded boy, Johnny Depp is super cute for the ladies, but the show stealer is their obese mother Darlene Cates. This is a twisted drama which holds up the reality mirror to your face about obesity, family shame, retardation, sexual frustration, and living in a backward town. Should be a classic movie that everyone knows, but the content can be offensive to those who want to deny reality.

Sling Blade review- Actor and Director Billy Bob Thorton, Dwight Yoakam, Lucas Black, and the underrated John Ritter teamed up for a timeless drama. Outstanding script, out-of-the-world acting, multi-layered story, and excellent directing make a first class classic. This is a sad story of an emotional disturbed yet gentle man trying to fit in society, and his innocent relationship with a boy with a drunk and abusive mother’s boyfriend. Perfect score from me and my wife- 2nd time I saw it.

Ninja Assassin review- Got into a fight with my wife about this one. I don’t find Rain, the star, to be physically attractive which is the only reason why women would want to see this movie. With a poor script, bad acting, bad filming, and unrealistic fight scenes, this felt like a 1992 low budget Hong Kong action movie instead of a 2009 Warner Bros movie written by JMS (J Michael Straczynski) and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers. Would have made a great comic book graphic novel one-shot, but as a film it’s horrible. Based on the trailer, I thought it would be an action romance but there was no romance or comedy and there is way too much gore. Stay away unless you like Rain. If you are a guy, I think you have to be into video games to appreciate; the NES 8-bit 1988 Ninja Gaiden was more deep.

Edward Scissorhands review- First time we saw this Johnny Depp and Tim Burton movie. Probably overrated. The dark weird humor was innovative and original for its time. It’s a bizarre modern Gothic fairytale that I probably should have seen back in 1990 to truly appreciate it fully. I can see it being a cult classic for some- it’s enjoyable and stylistic. Could have done without the cliche suburban sex starved housewives.

Fight Club review- Is Fight Club a guy’s movie? My mom and wife didn’t dig it. I first saw it with Tony Vahl and my mind was blown, but my mom and wife didn’t like the violence or the angry white man post-modern sexually frustrated Godless rants against commercialism and society. I don’t think there’s any denying that Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham-Carter have outstanding acting performances. Director David Finch Fincher does what he does best. But I guess the dark tone, lack of morality, violence, chaotic direction, and sick and twisted plot isn’t for everyone. I still think Fight Club is a modern classic, but the 80% Rotten Tomatoes rating and the two thumbs down from the females in my life give me pause.

Blow review: Possibly Johnny Depp’s most realistic role. This is a gritty drug movie about the highs and lows of being a big-time drug dealer. The setting is totally retro and the acting and directing (Ted Demme) is superb. This is a high-stakes drama based on a true story. This was my third time watching it (first time was with Vahl) and the character betrayals were still emotional. For some reason only 55% of RT’s critics liked this; the RT community had an 85% approval rating. Should be in the 90′s.

The Gods Must Be Crazy review: Hysterical slap-stick classic comedy. It was funnier the first time I saw it because the jokes were so memorable that seeing them for the second time didn’t really do anything for me, but the movie still held up. Set in Africa, it’s about a bushman that finds a Coke bottle, and he and his tribe think it’s a gift from the gods. I saw this movie with my friend CCB3 and we were laughing non-stop.

Hotel Rwanda review: One of the best movies ever, this showcased the genocide that no one cared about by the Hutu people. Don Cheadle is the unwilling hero in this emotional drama. Where is the JUSTICE? Better than Schindler’s List. A++ ’nuff said.

The Wizard of Oz review: Probably the 20th time I saw this classic. Should be ranked #1 as the best movie of all time, I don’t care what anyone says anymore at this point.

Dead Poet’s Society review: Was required viewing at Boyd Anderson. Was have seen it at least 5 times. Robin Williams plays everyone’s favorite teacher, and the young cast teams up for a memorable emotional drama that will tear at your heartstrings. This is a coming of age story about prep school life and going up against the Establishment and Tradition. Painfully underrated at 84% RT Critics and 89% RT Community. Ethan Hawke is great as a rookie, and the evil dad (Kurtwood Smith) is quite a villain. There is not a happy ending here, folks.

Zombieland review- This was a well-done zombie movie. It seemed high-budget and had some good acting performances by Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin. It’s a guilty pleasure film. It’s a gore action comedy as opposed to a scary horror movie. I can see why DailySkew icon Zane Black loved this movie- anyone into weapons, Apocalypse, and the end of civilization would love it. Not for senior citizens or kids, but everyone in-between should dig it. Nice date movie, since it is a cool movie, and seeing zombies die is always fun. Since I had to check my brain in at the front desk, it’s probably overrated.